Pickle Palooza: First-Ever Festival in Grand Rapids

Winter in West Michigan has a way of overstaying its welcome. Cold, gray, and endless. But you know spring is getting close when festival announcements start rolling in, and suddenly there is something fun on the calendar to look forward to!

Get our free mobile app

New Pickle Festival in Grand Rapids

Now, there’s a brand-new one that feels perfectly on brand for our area. Outlier Events, the team behind West Michigan’s most buzzed-about food and drink festivals like The Mac and Cheese Fest and Donut and Beer Fest, has announced a first-ever pickle festival in Grand Rapids. Say hello to Pickle Palooza Food and Drink Fest, a full-on brine-powered party!

If you follow Michigan food festivals, you already know people here show up for pickles. Between the long-running Pickle Festival in Berrien Springs every July and the Pickle Fest at Ed Dunneback and Girls Fruit Farm in Grand Rapids in August, we've built a reputation for serious pickle pride. Pickle Palooza fits right in!

👇BELOW: FIVE QUIRKY AND FUN FESTIVALS AROUND MICHIGAN👇

First Ever Pickle Palooza Coming to LMCU Ball Park

Pickle Palooza Food and Drink Fest is happening Saturday, May 2, 2026, at LMCU Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, from 5 to 10 p.m.

The food lineup leans fully into dill. Pickle vendors from across the country will be serving bites like Dilly Cheesesteaks, dilled cheese, pickle pizza, and fried pickles. Drinks get the same treatment with pickle-flavored cocktails, beer, cider, and sodas, plus pickle candy and snacks.

Pickle Palooza also includes a mechanical pickle ride, a brine chugging contest, pickle eating contests, a pickle photo booth, and plenty of games to keep the energy high. Live entertainment includes DJ Dilly, dueling pianos, tribute bands, and micro wrestling featuring top micro athletes.

Pickle Palooza Tickets

If you join the priority list, you'll get first access to tickets starting Feb. 19. General tickets will go on sale later in March.

Tickets come in different levels, with or without alcohol. The basic package ($49 with alcohol) includes a logoed lanyard and cup, plus food and drink sampling tickets. From there, options go up to the Platinum “Big Dill” package ($129), which adds early entry, skip-the-line access, premium lounge access, even more sampling tickets, and a merch item and hat.

UP NEXT: Vote for Grand Rapids to Win Beer City USA Once Again!

After a long winter, Pickle Palooza feels like a pretty solid sign that festival season is finally on the way! And if you love pickles even a little, I'd say this one is worth circling on the calendar.